Notes on Shady Wildflowers
The result is not perfect, but it is truthful. Looking back, the seasonal approach was the right call. I sow a little too early every spring and never seem to learn. The slugs got most of the lettuce, but the beans did well.
Second thoughts
I keep a short list of things to try next; composting is near the top. The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for mistakes. A watering can helps, but it is not the point. Nothing here requires a rain barrel, though it does make things easier. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer.
The process
The soil is better every year, largely because I stopped digging it. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. It is not glamorous, but it holds up. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about fruit trees.
Thanks for reading, and for the generous observations that keep arriving. It took me nine attempts to see the pattern. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. I wrote most of this on a quiet Tuesday morning. A garden fork helps, but it is not the point.
Nothing here requires a hand trowel, though it does make things easier. You can get unexpectedly far with a cold frame and some patience.